I can't resist a good internet meme – from wide-eyed kittens wielding machine guns to Lego men throwing up their hand and saying "Aye-o, I'm a Lego!"
And my favourite thing about these memes? That you no longer need to be impossibly beautiful to become ridiculously famous. Mass popularity is no longer the domain of chiselled Greek gods and svelte blondes. They have had to move over to make space for dorky-looking South Indians, Speedo-sporting goons and, most recently, nerdy, middle-age men with a hint of a paunch.
Nerdy, middle-aged Korean men with a hint of a paunch, to be precise. If you have no idea what I'm on about, then you might as well give up your internet privileges and go back to your cave.
Gangnam Style is where it's at this month; after all, 59 million people can't be wrong. Yes, that's right - 59 million people at last count - that's more than the entire population of South Korea. Or the entire population of Iraq and Saudi Arabia put together. Or the entire population of Greece five times over. That is how many times Gangnam Style has been viewed on YouTube since its release a little more than a month ago.
The dance pop single, written and performed by the Korean pop singer PSY (Park Jae Sung), came out on his YouTube channel on July 15 to accompany the official release of his sixth studio album PSY 6 (Six Rules). Within two weeks, it topped eight million views – and that's where things really snowballed. The millions kept multiplying and spawned dozens of copycat/homage clips. My favourite is that of a guy singing along to the song while driving a Maserati (because, apparently, that's what you do when you drive a car worth millions: sing along to a song with millions of hits on YouTube). You can find the video with the keywords "White Guy Got Gangnam Style" on YouTube.
I was extremely curious about what exactly Gangnam Style means – which, by the way, is probably one of the only two recognisable phrases in the entire song; the other one being "sexy lady". At one point, I swear he repeatedly says "happy birthday" in Arabic.
A spot of Googling revealed that Gangnam Style is Korean slang for the trendsetters in Seoul's upscale and affluent Gangnam district – the song cheekily pokes fun at them. The ironic lyrics and sardonic imagery are something the Korean audience has apparently seen and heard before, but that hasn't stopped the rest of the world from going crazy after this addictive mishmash of unintelligible lyrics and PSY's irresistible moves. With his strange riding-an-invisible-horse dance steps, this little Korean man has galloped his way into our lives and etched for himself a permanent spot on our hard drives.
As usual, there always are those who want a piece of the action. In addition to the Maserati man, YouTube is also where you'll also find a Nicki Minaj mash-up, as well as Nelly Furtado actually singing Gangnam Style at her recent concert in Manila.
This past weekend, a couple of friends and I spent a few hours watching and re-watching the video and its spin-offs. I wondered out loud if there was a Bollywood version on the internet yet. This morning, one of my friends emailed me a link – yes, it's been done. Look for "Gangnam Style Gola Gola" on YouTube. Maybe a Middle East Gangnam Style soon?
How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
A cryptocurrency primer for beginners
Cryptocurrency Investing for Dummies – by Kiana Danial
There are several primers for investing in cryptocurrencies available online, including e-books written by people whose credentials fall apart on the second page of your preferred search engine.
Ms Danial is a finance coach and former currency analyst who writes for Nasdaq. Her broad-strokes primer (2019) breaks down investing in cryptocurrency into baby steps, while explaining the terms and technologies involved.
Although cryptocurrencies are a fast evolving world, this book offers a good insight into the game as well as providing some basic tips, strategies and warning signs.
Begin your cryptocurrency journey here.
Available at Magrudy’s , Dh104
